It Happened in Washington, 2nd (It Happened In Series) by James A. Crutchfield

It Happened In...

by James A. Crutchfield

Written in a lively, easy-to-read style, this book features approximately 30 stories written for history buffs of all ages.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

James A. Crutchfield is the author of many books on United States history, including Tragedy at Taos: the Revolt of 1847, Eyewitness to American History, and Legends of the Wild West. His contributions to a variety of newspapers and nationally distributed magazines and journals number in the hundreds. He has been awarded the Spur Award from Western Writers of America and is a two-time award recipient from the American Association for State and Local History.

A native-born Tennessean whose direct ancestors were among the first settlers of Nashville in the 1780s, he has most often turned his probing eye toward their stories. But his writing career has spanned the entire continent, from the days of George Washington and the American fur trade to the Army of the West and the histories of such Western states as Montana, New Mexico and Arizona as part of his It Happened in… book series.

Reviews

[LuAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This quick read contains short stories of 32 events from the history of Washington state that are sure to appeal to anyone interested in U.S. history, particularly that of the Pacific Northwest. I was able to recognize many of the sites the author discusses as he explains events that happened throughout the course of the state – from as early as 1480 to 1999.
I’ve been meaning to read this nonfiction book for quite some time and I’m glad I finally did. It was absolutely fascinating and I learned quite a bit about the state in which I live. The essays are to the point and well-written. In fact, there are a few instances that piqued my interest enough that I plan to look further into those events.
Great read with excellent writing!

[Kristina Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good intro into Washington history. As another reviewer mentioned, I enjoyed that it was in the format of a lot of small chapters. It made it very easy to read in my spare time. I recently moved to Washington, so I feel it was really helpful for me to get to know my new state.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up with the hope that I would get a decent, if quickie, background about the state I live in. It was a pretty dry read - good on facts, but didn't make me itch to pick it up.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of interesting, short stories from the history of Washington state in chronological order from the avalanche at Ozette (1480ish) to the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a quick read. There were some stories I'd never heard of that helped me understand how and why some things are the way they are today.

[Jan Dittbrenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories

[Howard Frisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is s great little book. It is organized into 34 chapters, with each chapter dealing with an intriguing event that helped shaped Washington State's history. Most chapters are only four pages long, which makes them an easy read. As a lifelong resident of Washington, I thought I knew most of the state's history, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn the backstory to many of our most well known events.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The chapters were 1 to 2 pages in length. Started and finished the book in one day. Interesting stories if you want to know about the state of Washington and it's beginnings. Of interest too me was the 3 page story about the "Pig War" of the San Juan Island. Frankly, the chapters were way to short, the author could have included half the stories and doubled the length of the remaining stories and it would have been more compelling.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This history was interesting. I would have liked more in depth information on each event. Reminded me of Wash. State history class.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical vignettes from 1480-1980.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting info.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historically informative on not so well known stories of Wa as well as US History.

[Geoffrey Hazelton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a number of short history recaps of events that took place in the state of Washington. Interesting but pretty light reading. If you live there or are a visitor, it is worth a read.